Egg carton

ABSTRACT

An egg carton having a latching arrangement which includes inwardly projecting lugs on the front panel of the carton cover which extend into corresponding lug receiving recesses on the latching flap attached to the carton tray, said flap having indented vertical channels above the top wall of said lug receiving recesses permitting the lugs to pass within said channels and to slide over the top rim of the lug receiving recesses into locking position with said recesses, said front panel also having indented vertical channels above each lug for receiving the lug of another carton in open nesting relationship.

United States Patent Venutiet al.

[ 1 June 20, 1972 EGG CARTON [72] Inventors: Rlchard Joseph Venuti, 56Laurel Road, Wilbraham, Mass. 01095; Jerold Julius Golner, 32 HansonTerrace, Lowell, Mass. 01854; Anthony Salvatore Amato, 34 BerkeleyDrive, Chelmsford, Mass. 08124 [22] Filed: Feb. 3, 1971 [21] App]. No.:112,278

[52] US. Cl. ..229/44 R, 229/45, 22912.5, 229/DIG. 11, 206/65 K [51]Int. Cl ..B65d 85/32 [58] Field of Search ..229/2.5, 44 R, 45, DIG. 11;206/65 K [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,138,314 6/1964Rcifers ..229/2.5

3,243,096 3/1966 Crabtree ..229/2.5 3,465,947 9/1969 Andrews.....229/44R ABSTRACT An egg carton having a latching arrangement whichincludes inwardly projecting lugs on the front panel of the carton coverwhich extend into corresponding lug receiving recesses on the latchingflap attached to the carton tray, said flap having indented verticalchannels above the top wall of said lug receiving recesses permittingthe lugs to pass within said channels and to slide over the top rim ofthe lug receiving recesses into locking position with said recesses,said front panel also having indented vertical channels above each lugfor receiving the lug of another carton in open nesting relationship.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 20 I572 r l l i /L 2 S7 g 7INVENTORS RICHARD JOSEPH VENUTI JEROLD JULIUS GOLNER BYANTHONY SALVATEGG CARTON This invention relates to egg carton construction and moreparticularly to a novel egg carton which has an improved latching andsealing arrangement and which also can be stacked prior to filling inopen condition occupying a minimum of wasted space.

Egg carton of the molded pulp or foamed plastic material are well-knownin the art. Typical of such egg cartons are those disclosed in ReifersU.S. Pat. No. 2,888,183 and J. W. Boyd et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,184,133.These cartons include a tray having a number of cells for holding a likenumber of eggs, a cover hinged to the backside of the tray so that itmay be swung to a closed position overlaying the tray, and a latchingflap attached to the front panel of the tray portion. A latchingarrangement is formed by cooperating members on the latching flap andthe front wall of the cover member which include one or more projectionson the latching flap and corresponding openings in the cover frontpanel.

The cartons of the Reifers and Boyd patents have various disadvantages.Thus, the latching arrangement utilizes members which protrude from thelatching flap through holes in the cover front panel. Therefore, apossibility exists that the latching flap can be disengaged accidentallyby pushing in on the protruding members extending through the frontpanel. Further, the holes can provide areas of structural weakness inthe carton. Additionally, these holes are usually incorporated in amanufacturing operation separate from the forming or molding operation.Due to inherent inaccuracies in aligning the holes with these lugs, theholes must be enlarged to accommodate these inaccuracies resulting in aless tight latching. In this invention the recess is molded along withthe lugs avoiding these inaccuries.

The subject invention provides an improved egg carton and latchingarrangement which overcomes disadvantages of the prior art cartonsdiscussed above. In accordance with this invention, the egg carton isfonned by the usual cellular tray which has a latching flap attached tothe front thereof. A cover is hinged to the rear edge of the cellulartray. The latching flap is formed with a number of latch acceptingmolded recesses and a corresponding number of inwardly extending lugs orposts are formed on the inner face of the cover front panel. The flaphas a molded depression above the latching recesses which extends to thetop of'the flap. To securely close the carton it is only necessary tomove the cover down over the latching flap, past or within the depressedor channel areas above the rim of the recess and past said rim until thelugs on the cover extend into the recesses on the latching flap. Thelatching flap has a natural tendency to move outwardly, toward the coverfront panel. Thus, a secure engagement is produced between the lugs onthe cover front panel and the lug receiving recesses in the latchingflap.

In addition to the aforesaid latching arrangement, the subject inventionalso incorporates a unique stacking feature which decreases the stackingdensity of the cartons, which would otherwise be relatively large due tothe presence of the latching lugs. In accordance with the invention,there is provided a depressed vertical channel above each locking luginto which the lugs of another carton can be nested when the cartons arein the empty and open stacked or nested position. Thus, the open, emptycartons can be stacked with a relatively low density.

A wide variety of materials may be employed in the fabrication of thecarton structure of the present invention. A preferred material has beenfound to be thermoplastic foam such as, for example, foam polystyrene,although other polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride and the like are also useful. A single preferred embodiment ofthe present invention is presented, for purposes of illustration, in theattached drawings showing an egg carton as embodied herein produced bymatch molding from a sheet of polystyrene foam. Thus, apart from thevarious edges of the carton, each lug, projection or depression on oneside of the foamed polystyrene sheet has a corresponding opposite shapeon the other side thereof. Variations in thicknesses in various parts ofthe carton can be produced by the spacing between the adjacent moldsurfaces.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novelegg carton with a latching arrangement wherein inwardly extending lugson the front panel of the top cover protrude into molded recesses orindentations of the latching flap.

Another object is to provide an egg carton which can be stacked in theopen position, in which the latching lugs of the carton fit withinmating depressions above such lugs of another carton.

A further object is to provide an egg carton utilizing a latchingarrangement with inwardly extending lugs on the front panel of a coverprojecting into non-apertured recesses in a latching flap. Optionally,the cover can also be provided with a strengthening rib extendingbetween the front and rear panels to prevent the front panel fromspreading.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent upon reference to the following specification and annexeddrawings, wherein identical numerals refer to identical parts and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is front view of the egg carton of the subject inven tion inclosed condition;

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross section of the carton of FIG. 1 takenthrough the vertical plane at the center of the locking FIG. 3 is avertical cross section as in FIG. 2 but with at least two cartons inopen nesting relationship to each other;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the carton in open positionwhich particularly illustrates the latching mechanism;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical cut away view of the latchingarrangement as the locking lug on the cover is guided toward thelatching flap recess while closing the carton;

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5 but the latching lug has been pusheddownwardly over the rim of the latch receiving recess prior to locking;and

FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 5 but at the completion of the lockingoperation with the lug seated in the locking flap recess.

Referring now to the drawings wherein the identical numerals refer toidentical parts, the carton has a lower tray 10 formed with a number ofindividual, generally concave cells 12, there being one cell 12 for eachegg. The bottom of each cell is shown as being flat with a raised circle13. In the most common configuration, which is shown in the drawings,there are two rows of six cells 12 to hold a dozen eggs. of course,other cell arrays, such as three by four, can be used. A quad ofadjacent cells are joined by a generally convex projection or post 14,as can be best seen in FIG. 2, which are the terminal points of celldivider wall 16. The projections 14 are hollow on the bottom side of thetray so that another projection 14 can fit within the hollow portionwhen the cartons are in open stacked condition (see FIG. 3). Walls 16extend both parallel and transversely to the longitudinal axis of thetray 10. The projections 14 extend above the cell walls and also above aperipheral rim 18 which is formed around the two ends of the trayoutwardly of a platform 17 (see FIG. 2). Extending upwardly from thefront edge of the tray is a hinge 21 to a latching flap 20. The latchingflap 20 is bent upwardly from the tray in the closed condition so thatit has a natural tendency to swing outwardly with respect to the centralcell area of tray 10 when upward biasing force is released.

The hinge 21 is connected directly to a riser 22 which permits thebottom wall 24 of the lug receiving recess 25 of the flap 20 to be swungabove the hinge area and on to the top or outer edges of platform 17. Athickened portion 23 on the rear side of the riser 22 forms an abutmentagainst platform 17 to prevent the flap from extending unduly inwardly.Above the riser 22 and abutment 23 there is a molded inward lugreceiving recess 25 formed in the shape of a thimble having a shortenedupper wall. Thus, the lower wall 24 of the recess extends furtheroutwardly than the top wall 26 thereof. The top wall 26 of the recessterminates in a ridge 27 which is the outer top wall of the recess 25.An inward vertical channel 28 is molded above the outer edge of ridge27. The channel 28 (see FIGS. 4 and extends to the top end of thelatching or locking flap and has a width which is at least as great asthe width of the lug receiving recess in order to permit the cover lugsto be guided thereby in the locking position. The channel 28 permits thecover lugs 40 to move downwardly within the channel and thus acts as aguide way directing lug 40 over rim 27 and into recess 25.

A cover 30 is hinged at 32 to the rear top portion of the tray 10. Thehinge can be of any suitable, conventional construction. The cover 30has respective front, rear and side panels I 30a, 30b and 300 whichsurround and depend downwardly from a top wall 30d. The panels 30a, 30band 30c taper outwardly slightly from top panel 3011 so that the coversof the carton can be stacked. A peripheral lip 34 is formed around thefront 30a and the two side panels 30c.

Longitudinal reinforcing ribs 36 are formed in the top wall 30d andextend between the cover side panels 300. The ribs 36 extend downwardlyfrom the top panel 30d and are shown as being of generally V shape withtwo outwardly angled side walls and a joining bottom wall. As seen inFIG. 2, the ribs 36 are depressed areas of the cover top panel 30d whichare formed during the molding operation. The construction providessubstantial rigidity and a safety factor against downward pressure inthe closed carton condition since the ribs abut against the posts 14.

A plurality of hollow inwardly projecting latching lugs 40 are formedinwardly of the front peripheral lip 34. It is preferred that at leasttwo such lugs 40 be provided to assure adequate latching.

A plurality of lug-stacking vertical channels or depressions 42 are alsoformed on the front panel 30a of each carton above each lug 40. The sizeand shape of each lug-stacking depression 42 is such that a lug 40 ofanother carton can nest therein as shown in FIG. 3. This permitsstacking, as is described below. The depressions are shown as beinggenerally in the shape of a step having their side walls 47 extendinginwardly toward the interior of the cover, with a tread 43 and a riser44.

The latching lug 40 and the stacking depressions 42 are in substantiallythe same vertical plane. The bottom wall 41 of the lug, in the locked orclosed condition, mates over the top of the bottom wall 24 of the lugreceiving recess. The bottom wall 41 merges into margin 34 and forms anarea for finger engagement to lift the cover outwardly and upwardly inorder to open the carton. Each lug 40 has a top outer rim 46 which is insubstantially the same plane or slightly inwardly thereof of the planerportions of the front cover. The top of rim 46 extends upwardly andinwardly to form the lug stacking depression 42 as describedhereinabove. The inside of front cover 30a has a space between lug 40and tread 43 for receiving the ridge 27 above lug receiving recess 25.

The latching flap has a height above the tray rim 18 which is preferablyslightly less than that of the cover front panel 30a.

As can be seen particularly in FIG. 2 cut out portions 56 of the coverand 58 of the tray define slots therebetween ensuring ventilation of thecarton.

To seal the carton after it has been filled with eggs, the latching flap20 is swung up to the position shown in FIG. 5 if it is not already inthat position. The cover 30 is pressed downwardly and lugs 40 are guidedwithin and downwardly of channels 28 until the latching lugs 40 passover ridges 27 and into the lug receiving recesses of the latching flap.As can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, abutment 23 and even the underside ofwall 24 are pressed against platform 17 as lug 40 passes over rim 27. Ascan be seen in FIG. 7, flap 20 has a tendency to move outwardly so thatrecess 25 maintains mating contact with lug 40. To open the cover bothan upward and an outward force is applied to cover front panel a.

It should be noted that the locking lugs 40 extend inwardly from panel30a and are not exposed as in the carton of the aforesaid Reifers andBoyd patents. Therefore, there is little or no likelihood of the coverbeing accidentally disengaged from the recess 25 by someone pushinginwardly on the latching lugs, as could occur in the prior artstructures.

FIG. 3 shows the stacking or nesting of the cartons. A crosssection isshown of cartons in the stack. While only a few cartons are shown, sincethis demonstrates the principles of the invention, it should beunderstood that a greater number of canons can be stacked one within theother. Since the trays 10 of both types of cartons are identical, theystack with the posts 14 nesting inside of each other. The latching flap20 of each carton fits within the flap of the next lower carton of thestack. The bottom carton in the stack of FIG. 3 shows a stacking lug 40nesting within depression 42 of the carton above it. This nestingsequence of parts 40 and 42 is repeated for additional cartons added tothe stack.

The use of the stacking depressions 42, which are comple-v mentary withthe lugs 40, increases the stacking density of the cartons. It wouldtake a considerably greater volume to stack the same number of cartonsif the stacking arrangement of the subject invention was not utilized.This should be apparent when it is considered'that the cover of eachcarton'would be able to nest into the cover of the next lower cartononly to a point where the front panel of the cover of the upper cartonwould be stopped by the inwardly projecting latching lugs on the coverof the next lower carton. By utilizing the subject invention the coverof the upper carton can move down further into the next outer carton onthe stack since the latching lugs of the latter fit into the depressionsof the former thereby permitting further downward movement of the uppercarton than could previously be obtained.

What is claimed is:

l. A carton having a tray section, including upwardly disposed front,back and side walls, a cover section including a top and dependingoutwardly inclined front, rear and side walls, and a locking flap, thecover rear wall hinged to the tray rear wall, the locking flap hinged tothe front wall to swing into and out of an inwardly and upwardlydisposed operative position in which it latches with the rear'face ofthe front cover wall when the top is in its carton closing position saidcarton, in the closed condition, characterized by the locking flap andfront cover having cooperating locking areas, a vertical channel in thefront cover above said locking areas, said vertical channel extendingdownwardly from the cover top, an inwardly directed lug below saidchannel on said cover front, said vertical channel dimensioned to nest alug identical to said inwardly directed lug having a bottom wallextending outwardly of the carton cover and tray, said vertical channeland lug connected by a hollow outwardly directed generally V" shapedridge, said locking flap having a hollow recess adjacent the bottomthereof for receiving said lug, and an upper ridge mating with thehollow side of the front V shaped ridge and a depressed area thereabovemating with the cover front channel.

2. A carton of claim 1 wherein the tray has a platfonn thercaboutinwardly of its upper edges and the bottom wall of the locking flap lugreceiving recess is normally out of contact with said platform, thecover lug and upper ridge of the recess dimensions displacing said flaprearwardly and downwardly to make abutting contact with said platformwhen said lug slides over said ridge in opening said carton.

3. A carton having a tray section including from, rear and side wallsand a plurality of article receiving pockets, a cover including a topand depending front, side and rear walls, with at least the front coverwall being outwardly inclined, and a locking flap, the top rear wallbeing hinged to the tray rear wall, the locking flap hinged to the trayfront wall to swing into and out of an inwardly and upwardly disposedoperative position in which it latches with the rear face of the frontcover wall when the top is in its carton closing position, said cartoncharacterized by the front cover wall having an inwardly disposed hollowlocking lug adjacent the bottom end thereof and an indented verticalchannel commencing adjacent the top of the lug and extending upwardlyover the remaining portion of the front cover wall, said flap in theoperative position having a hollow inwardly extending recess to receivethe cover front lug and a channel thereabove which is wider than saidfront cover channel to guide said lug in the plane of said flap recess.

4. A carton of claim 3 wherein the locking flap hinge has an outwardlydirected longitudinal depression, the top edge of said depression beingabove the tops of the cell walls adjacent thereto, said edge acting asan abutment in cooperation with said cell walls to limit the inwardangle of said flap when in the operative position.

5. A plurality of open empty cartons in nesting relationship to eachother, each of said cartons having: a base section including front, rearand side walls and a plurality of article receiving pockets; a coverincluding a top and depending outwardly inclined front, side and rearwalls and a locking flap; the top rear wall being hinged to the baserear wall; the locking flap hinged to the base front wall to swing intoand out of an inwardly and upwardly disposed operative position in whichit latches with the rear face of the front cover wall when the top is inits carton closing position, said front cover wall having at least oneinwardly disposed locking lug adjacent to the bottom thereof and anindented vertical channel thereabove, said flap having, in the operativeposition, an inwardly extending recess adjacent the bottom thereof toreceive the cover front lug and a channel thereabove for closejuxtaposed relationship, said cartons being in the open position nestedwith identical parts above each other, said front cover lug fitting inthe front cover wall channel of the canon immediately above it.

1. A carton having a tray section, including upwardly disposed front,back and side walls, a cover section including a top and dependingoutwardly inclined front, rear and side walls, and a locking flap, thecover rear wall hinged to the tray rear wall, the locking flap hinged tothe front wall to swing into and out of an inwardly and upwardlydisposed operative position in which it latches with the rear face ofthe front cover wall when the top is in its carton closing position saidcarton, in the closed condition, characterized by the locking flap andfront cover having cooperating locking areas, a vertical channel in thefront cover above said locking areas, said vertical channel extendingdownwardly from the cover top, an inwardly directed lug below saidchannel on said cover front, said vertical channel dimensioned to nest alug identical to said inwardly directed lug having a bottom wallextending outwardly of the carton cover and tray, said vertical channeland lug connected by a hollow outwardly directed generally ''''V''''shaped ridge, said locking flap having a hollow recess adjacent thebottom thereof for receiving said lug, and an upper ridge mating withthe hollow side of the front ''''V'''' shaped ridge and a depressed areathereabove mating with the cover front channel.
 2. A carton of claim 1wherein the tray has a platform thereabout inwardly of its upper edgesand the bottom wall of the locking flap lug receiving recess is normallyout of contact with said platform, the cover lug and upper ridge of therecess dimensions displacing said flap rearwardly and downwardly to makeabutting contact with said platform when said lug slides over said ridgein opening said carton.
 3. A carton having a tray section includingfront, rear and side walls and a plurality of article receiving pockets,a cover including a top and depending front, side and rear walls, withat least the front cover wall being outwardly inclined, and a lockingflap, the top rear wall being hinged to the tray rear wall, the lockingflap hinged to the tray front wall to swing into and out of an inwardlyand upwardly disposed operative position in which it latches with therear face of the front cover wall when the top is in its carton closingposition, said carton characterized by the front cover wall having aninwardly disposed hollow locking lug adjacent the bottom end thereof andan indented vertical channel commencing adjacent the top of the lug andextending upwardly over the remaining portion of the front cover wall,said flap in the operative position having a hollow inwardly extendingrecess to receive the cover front lug and a channel thereabove which iswider than said front cover channel to guide said lug in the plane ofsaid flap recess.
 4. A carton of claim 3 wherein the locking flap hingehas an outwardly directed longitudinal depression, the top edge of saiddepression being above the tops of the cell walls adjacent thereto, saidedge acting as an abutment in cooperation with said cell walls to limitthe inward angle of said flap when in the operative position.
 5. Aplurality of open empty cartons in nesting relationship to each other,each of said cartons having: a base section including front, rear andside walls and a plurality of article receiving pockets; a coverincluding a top and depending outwardly inclined front, side and rearwalls and a locking flap; the top rear wall being hinged to the baserear wall; the locking flap hinged to the base front wall to swing intoand out of an inwardly and upwardly disposed operative position in whichit latches with the rear face of the front cover wall when the top is inits carton closing position, said front cover wall having at least oneinwardly disposed locking lug adjacent to the bottom thereof and anindented vertical channel thereabove, said flap having, in the operativeposition, an inwardly extending recess adjacent the bottom thereof toreceive the cover front lug and a channel thereabove for closejuxtaposed relationship, said cartons being in the open position nestedwith identical parts above each other, said front cover lug Fitting inthe front cover wall channel of the carton immediately above it.